Do I need to keep the satellites?

[jbdenney]

I am running  career game. I have put up resource scanners and other such Probes/Satellites. I am also collecting a huge number of "Contract" probes and relays. My orbits are starting to look like a junk drawer that needs cleaning out. Other than keeping some to form  a Communications Network is there any reason to keep contract probes/relays/satellites around once they have met contract conditions?

 

Thanks in advance

[Superfluous J]

The moment you know the resources of a planet or get the money for a satellite contract, those can be trashed.

Some people like to launch one satellite and complete 4 contracts with it. That's good money right there Others like me slap a relay on them and keep them around so the customer paid for my relay satellite system. For resource scanners, I over-engineer them so they can do multiple planets and moons. You could also meet them with an engineering ship and in-situ modify them for the next mission.

But to answer your question, feel free to crash them into the surface of the nearest world or just delete them from the tracking station.

Edited May 27, 2021 by Superfluous J

[jimmymcgoochie]

If you can’t use it for anything else and don’t need it, delete it. You gain nothing from keeping them and it actually slows saving/loading down slightly by having more stuff in the save file.

[AHHans]

I also usually go the "put a relay dish on them and have them pay for my relay network" route. I also designate satellites for finished contracts as "relay" and remove the relay category from the display in the map screen to reduce the clutter. (Which implies that I designate satellites that are still on their way as "probe" so that they are displayed in the map.)

P.S. Another use for the satellites is as an impactor for the seismic surface science experiment.

Edited May 27, 2021 by AHHans

[Mythos]

One reason to keep one per planet/moon with some experiment on it is, so that you can fulfill any "get science from orbit of X" contracts within seconds.

[Starman4308]

Leftover satellites are also very convenient for the Grand Slam passive seismometer experiment (Breaking Ground): I've ended a number of probes' lives crashing them into airless worlds for the seismic science.

This... doesn't work so great on bodies with atmospheres, even Duna's relatively thin atmosphere. Without a heatshield, you tend to either burn up too quickly, or lose too much speed.

[jbdenney]

Thanks - I do tend to slap a relay on every thing I launch for contract. I do guess I will start weeding them out.

[Vanamonde]

Since a significant fraction of the cost of a satellite launch is in the final stage (antennas, reaction wheels, power parts, etc.), I build all of my contract satellites so that the final stage can splashdown and be recovered for a partial refund of the original cost.